Yelp's mobile app on Android just got an update to version 2.5, introducing just one feature - check-in offers. Check-in offers are new to Yelp but not new in the industry - 4square pioneered the concept, followed by Facebook and SCVNGR. Yelp introduced mobile check-ins in July of this year.

The basic idea is whenever you check into a business using the mobile app, you may be presented with a discount coupon in one of these 3 categories: % off, free item, or fixed discounted price. Just show the coupon at the register to claim the item - no printing or planning necessary. I absolutely love this idea - it adds real-life, tangible purpose to the social aspect of check-ins and can provide for nice surprises when you don't expect them.

Unfortunately, I don't have an open business I can check into at 3 a.m. handy, and Yelp itself only provided a screen of the iPhone UI (though, according to the blog post, the iPhone app hasn't been updated yet, presumably due to the infamous app store approval process that can last weeks), so you will have to make do with this:

To get access to mobile check-ins, just download or upgrade to the latest version of Yelp for Android by scanning or clicking this QR code:

On the other hand, if you own a business and want to create check-in offers, head over here or watch this introductory video: